Iowa DOT News Release

Posted on: October 08, 2013

MASON
CITY, Iowa – Oct. 8, 2013 – Safety improvements at highway-railroad grade
crossings were approved by the Iowa Transportation Commission today. The
improvements include the addition of signals with gate arms at 27 crossings and
circuitry upgrades at five crossings. Funds were also approved to assist in
crossing closures. Engineering and planning for these improvements will take
place over the next year with installation planned in 2015. A list of the
safety improvements may be found at www.iowadot.gov/iowarail.

The
Highway-Railroad Crossing Safety Program provides 90 percent of the cost of the
safety improvement, with the remaining 10 percent paid by the party responsible
for the highway (normally a city or county), the railroad or a portion paid by
each. Funding for the program comes from the Federal Highway-Railroad Crossing
Program.

Projects
are prioritized using a benefit/cost analysis. The analysis considers vehicle
traffic, number and speed of trains, and crossing characteristics, as well as
cost and anticipated effectiveness of the proposed improvement. The available
funding only allows a limited number of safety improvements each year.

"Applications
for safety improvements at crossings with a high probability for a serious
crash and that propose an effective, cost-efficient improvement get the highest
priority,” said Jim Gibson program manager in the Iowa DOT’s Office of Rail
Transportation. “Any safety improvement we can make will help accomplish the
state’s goal of zero fatalities on our transportation system.”